I’m not sure if I’m becoming a better cook or if I’m dialing in my menu planning, but I’ve heard zero complaints about dinner lately. I keep in mind that we have a potato-hater ( I had no idea potato-haters existed until my daughter was born) and a spicy-food hater, and I try not to cater too much, but I also want to hear good things at the dinner table. That being said, the 4 recipes I rounded up were all winners, so I thought I’d share. These are all guaranteed to keep the family well-fed and happy!

This Crockpot Creamy Chicken, Wild Rice, and Sweet Potato Soup is really good, and totally perfect for this winter weather in Colorado. Just make sure you cook the wild rice long enough before serving—ours was a little crunchy, so next time I’ll add it earlier. Otherwise, an amazing soup!

If your kids like mac and cheese, this pumped up Chicken and broccoli shells and cheese is a great way to sneak in protein and veggies. I used whole wheat shells, so can I call this healthy comfort food? I also added a little more salt, but altogether very yummy!

Can you believe my kids have never had moo shu? I’m not really sure why, but it’s never made the menu. My kids were skeptical of using tortillas for anything other than Mexican, but they ended up loving this 20 Minute Moo shu pork.

I could seriously swim in this delicious shrimp in Thai coconut sauce! I used Trader Joe’s frozen shrimp that was deveined and with tails off, so it was easy to dump right in the pan. Not a drop was left of this scrumptious dinner!

Stumped on how to stuff your tween’s stocking? Here are some great picks (I’m personally excited about the Julia Rothman books)!
Food Anatomy by Julia Rothman. What a gorgeous little book full of fun food facts and beautiful drawings! Looking forward to getting Farm Anatomy and Nature Anatomy for birthday presents.
Kendama– Have you seen how these work? My 12 year old was fascinated by this video.
Cat Coin Purse– My kids are major cat lovers.
Soccer Phone Case– For the sport-loving kid.
Lippety Doo Dah! Lip Balm-...

Working in the food blogging industry, I’m surrounded by images of food all day long. And yup, I’m tempted on a regular basis by totally amazing, drool-worthy desserts. But what really gets my attention are quick, healthy dinner recipes. I’m still stumped by the “what’s for dinner” question. I have my regular go-to burritos and pasta, but I try to throw in a few new recipes every week (err, that may be an exaggeration). I’m only going to post links to recipes that we’ve tried and liked. ...

2015 is going to be a creative year. I feel like I dropped off the planet for a while, but I’ve got the creative bug back, and I’m taking full advantage of it. I just ordered some home dec fabric for a very old, sad-looking footstool. If you sew, check out Tonic Living– they have great fabric, and right now they’re offering free shipping to the states. A friend of mine just had a baby (well, technically he can now walk), and I wanted an extra special present for her new babe. The problem was that Jones,...

Hi- it feels so good to be back! I managed to jam May and June full work projects, so July is all about less work and more fun with the kids. I’m so excited that I finished a headboard for my daughter’s room, and will share the tutorial soon. Her room is really coming together, and my younger daughter is begging to have her room redone too- this means many DIY projects in my future. My older daughter turned 10 this month (yikes, is she a tween?), and I needed birthday party activities to keep kids of different ages...

Happy Earth Day! Make yourself and your family a gorgeous, delicious, healthy salad tonight to celebrate the day. Also check out Danny Seo’s blog, and visit his Do Just One Thing archive- there are plenty of great ideas to help you green up. Spring makes me start craving healthy eating, and these four green salad recipes are ones that you’ll want to make over and over again (seriously, they’re all really good)!
1. Ina Garten’s Tabbouleh Recipe from Kitchen Parade
2. Keeper Greek Salad from...

It’s been a while since I’ve posted- some good family friends got some bad news, and it hit me hard. For now, on to Easter… it’s my favorite holiday- I love the colors, cute bunnies, and egg hunts. Our neighborhood has a yearly egg hunt the day before Easter, and the kids get loads and loads of candy. They get home and immediately stuff as much sugar into themselves as they can possibly manage. Because of this Saturday sugar-fest, I tend to go easy on the candy in the Easter baskets. I’ve found some super cute non-candy...

Do the days seem longer lately? I think I’ve got a case of spring fever, and these tutorials would be perfect spring home improvement projects. Hopefully I’m not biting off more than I can chew!
1. DIY Floating Shelves in the laundry room. Our laundry room is configured a little differently, but I love the floating shelves. It would be nice to feel good about that cluttered, catch-all space.
2. Tufted Headboard. I’m so close to finishing my older daughter’s bedroom, and this is one thing I...

Have you made the switch to dark chocolate? If you’re a milk chocolate junkie like I was, it seems seriously impossible. Whenever I used to taste dark chocolate, I had to choke it down- bitter and disgusting were two words I used to describe it. I kept reading about the health benefits of dark chocolate, and I couldn’t ignore the facts. I started cutting back on sugar in general, and began the process of taste-testing different brands of dark chocolate. All of the nutrition experts recommend eating dark...

If you live anywhere near a Whole Foods, you’ll want to stock up this weekend on facial care products (25% off February 7-9, 2014). This is a great deal, and they have some fantastic skincare lines that are worth checking out. Here are some of the brands they carry:
Mychelle– I love the Sun Shield SPF 28 Sunscreen (this is coming from someone who has tested every sunscreen under the sun, including the expensive derm brands like Skinceuticals). It has a very high concentration of clear zinc (something I’ve learned...

Hello and Welcome!

I'm Susie, and I hope you'll follow along as I tackle DIY projects, gather up great health and nutrition ideas, parent two wonderful grade school girls, and try my hardest to stay on a budget. Please contact me: susie@ecbloom.com